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Roman Influence on Architecture The world of architecture has been greatly
influenced and affected by Roman architectural design and development. Their
innovative designs and influential developments developed centuries ago have
provided a basis for architectural masterpieces found across the planet and,
what's more, have remained relevant into the 21st Century.
While the Romans
borrowed many architectural designs from the Greeks and Etruscans, the additions
that they did make to the world of architecture changed that world forever.
Their invention of cement, their new use of arches and vaults, the development
in aqueducts, and the development of road systems brought about change that
affected not only the Roman Empire but also the many peoples that that great
culture touched in its many travels and conquests.
“With the Roman invention of
concrete in the first century BC and their growing understanding of the
architectural principles of stress and counter-stress, Roman architects were
able to experiment with new and elaborate forms of building, many of which were
to pass in to the western architectural tradition.
(Cunningham and Reich 156).”
Until this innovative development, architectural progress had been severely
limited and restricted. Building designs, using traditional Grecian models
within the post and lintel system, had allowed for limited change. With the
development of concrete and the increased understanding of its uses and
applications, Romans were able to erect structures that would have previously
been impossible using the Grecian post and lintel system.
It was also the Roman
use of concrete that led the way to many other Roman innovations in
architecture, most especially the use of arches and vaults. Prior to the use of
arches, Greek and republican Roman temples had been relatively small, partly
because of the difficulties involved in putting a roof on a large space, without
the use of supports.
The Romans found and developed a way to use internal arches
(“a curved structure that forms the upper edge of an open space, or the space
between a bridge's supports” (Arch)) and vaults (“an arch-shaped structure,
usually of masonry, used as the ceiling of a room or other enclosed space, as
the roof of a building, or as the support for a ceiling or roof” (Arch and
Vault)) to provide roofs for structures of increasing size and complexity.
This
new innovative style was adopted by the Romans from the Etruscans, as early as
the fifth century BC (Cunningham and Reich 156).
“Vaults used by the Romans were
simple geometric forms: the barrel vault(semicircular in shape), the
intersecting (groined) barrel vault, and the segmental vault. By the 1st century
BC, extensive systems of vaulting were employed. A particularly fine example of
Roman vaulting is the Basilica of Maxentius in Rome” (Roman Architecture), and
their influence on architectural styles in using the arch can be seen in modern
day Washington Square in New York and the Champs Elysees in Paris (Cunningham
and Reich 155).
Building upon this development, after the second century, stone
arches were commonly seen in bridges and aqueducts, there by giving birth to
more major innovation. Because Rome covered such a large area and housed a
massive population, it required a constant supply of water. The Romans were able
to tackle this problem by creating a network of pipes that carried water from
the surrounding hills, into the city of Rome. Ancient Rome was supplied by more
than ten aqueducts, providing the city with some 38 million gallons of water
each day” (Tillery).
This innovation led the way to future waterlines and sewer
systems in the many places that Rome was to leave its influence, including Great
Britain and France, many of which can still be seen today. Roman influence is
also seen in Europe when looking at their modern day road systems. The Romans
were the first civilization to make well-designed roads. This greatly increased
the ability to expand because of the way roads were laid out.
The major roads
were constructed to keep the incredibly large empire linked so it would not
fall. The Romans enhanced the roads by adding a number of things to the basic
idea of roads, such as archways, city streets, and arch bridges (Road). It is
easy to see, even in 21st Century contemporary life, the immense influence the
Romans had on the development of architecture around the world.
Whether driving
through the south of Italy, walking the halls of the great gothic churches of
France, or driving past the farm fields of Mexico, their mark can be seen and
appreciated. There ability to understand both the science and the physics that
was and still is required to build strong and reliable structures and to apply
this knowledge to the development of their craft remains a statement of their
innovation, genius and long-lasting effect on all of person kind.
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